Gorillas
Four out of the five great ape 
species live on the African continent, in the Albertine Rift and Congo Basin - the area where Volcanoes Safaris works. These include Mountain Gorillas, Lowland Gorillas, Chimpanzees and Bonobos. Man poses a serious threat to all the precarious populations of Great Apes through poaching, disease and population pressure. Visiting gorillas and chimpanzees helps fund conservation and community projects - schools, roads, clinics, community centres - and helps the local people to understand the value of the Great Apes continued survival.
Until recently it was considered that there was only one species of gorilla (Gorilla gorilla), divided into three subspecies that live in different parts of Africa, the Western Lowland Gorilla (Gorilla gorilla gorilla), the Eastern Lowland Gorilla (Gorilla Gorilla Graueri) and the mountain gorilla (Gorilla Gorilla Beringei). However, recent DNA evidence has led to the recognition of the eastern and western populations as separate full species classified as Gorilla beringei and Gorilla gorilla respectively.
The two mountain populations, one in the Virunga Volcanoes area on the border between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda and the other in the Bwindi National Park in Uganda, belong to the Eastern group which changes their classification to Gorilla Beringei Beringei.
Western Lowland Gorillas
Seen in zoos around the world, the Western Lowland Gorilla, with its distinctive brown colouring, lives in Congo, Gabon, the Central African Republic and Cameroon. Although they still number about a hundred thousand they are under severe threat from poaching, logging, ebola and the bushmeat trade.
Unlike the mountain gorilla, very few families of the western lowland gorilla are habituated and viewing is more difficult as they are very shy. Sometimes they can also be seen at bais - saline swamp clearings in the forest such as those found in the Dzanga Trinational Park, straddling the Central African Republic, Cameroon, and the Republic of Congo. In these idyllic settings other unique animals also gather, - forest elephants, bongo and forest buffalos. We will soon be offering journeys to the lowland gorilla - they are only for the tough adventurer but the experience is worth it.
Mountain Gorillas
The two mountain populations, one in the Virunga Volcanoes area on the border between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda and the other in the Bwindi National Park in Uganda, belong to the Eastern group, which changes their classification to Gorilla Beringei Beringei. After chimpanzees, gorillas are our closest relatives and share about 97.7% of our DNA. Mountain gorillas are the largest living primates, an adult male weighing up to 180 kilograms (400 pounds), with an arm span of about two meters (seven feet). They have longer, thicker fur than Lowland gorillas and a slightly different nose shape among other skeletal differences.
Mountain gorillas do not survive in captivity, which is why they are not seen in zoos. Tracking the mountain gorilla through the misty forests requires patience and stamina, often walking for hours in the mud and the wet. Finally meeting them in the undergrowth is an inspiring moment. Quietly chewing away at their vegetarian delicacies, they seem like a marooned human family. The tender grooming and firm disciplining of their offspring seems all too familiar. The gorilla family cast a wary glance at the sudden human intrusion into their private world, but is comforted by the clucking made by the trackers. When provoked, the noisy but harmless silverback grunts, screeches, bares his fangs and beats his chest, before slithering off with attendant females, offspring and other mature males.
Eastern Lowland Gorillas
The Eastern Lowland, a close relative of the mountain gorilla, is found in Kahuzi-Biega National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo. This was the first park where gorillas were habituated
As security stabilizes, we hope to offer safaris tracking these stocky giants, with elongated heads in the lush vegetation of these forgotten forests.
species live on the African continent, in the Albertine Rift and Congo Basin - the area where Volcanoes Safaris works. These include Mountain Gorillas, Lowland Gorillas, Chimpanzees and Bonobos. Man poses a serious threat to all the precarious populations of Great Apes through poaching, disease and population pressure. Visiting gorillas and chimpanzees helps fund conservation and community projects - schools, roads, clinics, community centres - and helps the local people to understand the value of the Great Apes continued survival.Until recently it was considered that there was only one species of gorilla (Gorilla gorilla), divided into three subspecies that live in different parts of Africa, the Western Lowland Gorilla (Gorilla gorilla gorilla), the Eastern Lowland Gorilla (Gorilla Gorilla Graueri) and the mountain gorilla (Gorilla Gorilla Beringei). However, recent DNA evidence has led to the recognition of the eastern and western populations as separate full species classified as Gorilla beringei and Gorilla gorilla respectively.
The two mountain populations, one in the Virunga Volcanoes area on the border between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda and the other in the Bwindi National Park in Uganda, belong to the Eastern group which changes their classification to Gorilla Beringei Beringei.
Western Lowland Gorillas
Seen in zoos around the world, the Western Lowland Gorilla, with its distinctive brown colouring, lives in Congo, Gabon, the Central African Republic and Cameroon. Although they still number about a hundred thousand they are under severe threat from poaching, logging, ebola and the bushmeat trade.
Unlike the mountain gorilla, very few families of the western lowland gorilla are habituated and viewing is more difficult as they are very shy. Sometimes they can also be seen at bais - saline swamp clearings in the forest such as those found in the Dzanga Trinational Park, straddling the Central African Republic, Cameroon, and the Republic of Congo. In these idyllic settings other unique animals also gather, - forest elephants, bongo and forest buffalos. We will soon be offering journeys to the lowland gorilla - they are only for the tough adventurer but the experience is worth it.
Mountain Gorillas
The two mountain populations, one in the Virunga Volcanoes area on the border between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda and the other in the Bwindi National Park in Uganda, belong to the Eastern group, which changes their classification to Gorilla Beringei Beringei. After chimpanzees, gorillas are our closest relatives and share about 97.7% of our DNA. Mountain gorillas are the largest living primates, an adult male weighing up to 180 kilograms (400 pounds), with an arm span of about two meters (seven feet). They have longer, thicker fur than Lowland gorillas and a slightly different nose shape among other skeletal differences.
Mountain gorillas do not survive in captivity, which is why they are not seen in zoos. Tracking the mountain gorilla through the misty forests requires patience and stamina, often walking for hours in the mud and the wet. Finally meeting them in the undergrowth is an inspiring moment. Quietly chewing away at their vegetarian delicacies, they seem like a marooned human family. The tender grooming and firm disciplining of their offspring seems all too familiar. The gorilla family cast a wary glance at the sudden human intrusion into their private world, but is comforted by the clucking made by the trackers. When provoked, the noisy but harmless silverback grunts, screeches, bares his fangs and beats his chest, before slithering off with attendant females, offspring and other mature males.Eastern Lowland Gorillas
The Eastern Lowland, a close relative of the mountain gorilla, is found in Kahuzi-Biega National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo. This was the first park where gorillas were habituated
As security stabilizes, we hope to offer safaris tracking these stocky giants, with elongated heads in the lush vegetation of these forgotten forests.
